


First Flight

by in_a_blog_in_the_ground



Series: A First For Everything [1]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Occasional violence, individual chapters will have warning in the notes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-13
Updated: 2013-08-01
Packaged: 2017-12-19 08:01:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/881406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/in_a_blog_in_the_ground/pseuds/in_a_blog_in_the_ground
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nori has always had wanderlust, but never knew what the metaphorical itch in his feet meant. </p><p>Adventure go!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Nori's still pretty young here, like our equivalent of 9-ish

The first time Nori stayed away from home, it had been an accident.

Not watching the time, he had ended up in a strange part of town during his wanderings.

“Stupid Nitka.” He muttered to himself. “Shouldn’a said that ‘bout Dori…”

He’d gotten into a fight with his little gang of mates after one of them called his big brother a coward and wouldn’t take it back. He knew Dori wouldn’t like him to get into fights because of him, after that first time he had come home covered in bruises and blood, so he decided to find a place to hole up while he recovered.

That’s when he found himself lost.

The sun was setting, and he was tired. Finding a shallow wooden ledge, he curled up under the tarp covering it, and fell asleep. _I’ll find me way 'ome in the mornin’_ , he thought.

When he awoke, the sun was up, though the tarp dimmed the glare. Peeking out to see if anyone was about, Nori nearly tumbled off the ledge when the wagon wheels hit a pothole in the road.

Wait.

An interesting feeling of panic and excitement flooded Nori’s chest. Sticking his head out further to look around, he started when the horse following the wagon sniffed his hair and snorted.

“Woah! Hold!” a man’s voice called out. The wagon bounced to a halt, accompanied by the stamping of the two-horse team pulling it.

Nori ducked back under the tarp and pressed his back against the boxes he thought had been a wall in the dark the night before. Patting his belt, he looked for the slim blade he always had on his person.

The tarp was flipped back and he closed his eyes against the sudden flood of light as he waved the knife in front of him.

“Hoh ho, look ‘ere, Thom,” the same voice said. “We’ve got a stowaway kid.”

“Waseedounere? Gerrumoffet.”

Chuckling, the Man smiled down at Nori, still holding the knife before him. He held his open hands up to show he meant no harm. “Easy now, boy. Yer a scapper, Oi ken see. Don’ mind ol’ Thom there, he jus’ hasn’t had his marnin’ cuppa yet. That's because Oi had it," he said with a wink. "My name’s Bill. An' oo might you be?"

"Where...where are we?" Nori glanced around nervously, trying to look for an opening to escape while also keeping an eye on the Man, who didn't _look_ particularly threatening, but you never could tell with Men, could you?

This one leaned back and spread his arms wide to take in their surroundings. It really was quite a nice day for traveling, something the two roving merchants truly appreciated. Though both in late middle age, the Men appeared hale and hardy, thanks to the constant fresh air and exercise their wanderings provided. "The foothills of Ered Luin, lad! Only a few turns of the wheel away from the town Oi venture t’guess you unwittingly joined us in."

His eyes adjusting to the bright sunlight, Nori looked around fully. He had not ventured far out of town before, so the rolling hills around him were not wholly familiar, but when he looked past the massive hoofed beast still nuzzling at him curiously, he could see, some distance away, the low sprawl of buildings he presumed was his home.

It was at that moment his stomach decided to let out a discontented grumble. Glaring down at his traitorous belly, Nori was startled when Bill let out a guffaw, his horse knickering beside him as if in agreement.

“Sounds like you’re hungry, lad! Well, it was just about time for elevensies anyway, weren’t it, Thom?”

“Wernli’yedunetaldatime. Grazinlikacow. Outtascunsnow.”

“Oi do not eat _all_ the time, an’ Oi do not graze like a cow. Are we really out of scones?” Bill’s face fell as he rooted around in his horse’s saddlebags. “Ah, here! There’s two left. Here ye go, lad. Don’ share with that old pickleface there.”

Accepting the food, Nori slid off the back of the wagon, and carefully edging around the horse, who was definitely interested now, joined the Men under the shade of a tree, keeping his back to the road in case he needed to flee.

“Where’re ye goin’?” Nori asked, taking a bite of the scone. Eyes wide, he stared at it. It was delicious, packed with nuts and dried berries, and seasoned with a subtle spice he couldn’t place. Stomach growling even louder, Nori finished off the scone with the undisguised pleasure of the young and hungry.

“Bree,” answered Bill, chuckling as Nori burped, having eaten too quickly. Even grumpy Thom hid a grin behind the apple he was chewing through. “It’s on the other side of Hobbiton, the inhabitants of which are the fine people that made that pastry you just enjoyed so thoroughly.” He chuckled again at the sheepish look Nori threw his way. “Little marsters of pastry-making, those Hobbits are, eh, Thom? Also the inventors of elevensies. Brilliant folk, those Hobbits.”

“Could I…could I come wiv you?” Nori froze, the words having sprung from his mouth unbidden. But they were sincere, he realized. All his life he’d been pulled by a feeling he couldn’t explain. It would tug at his feet, his ears, his stomach, his heart. It made his eyes turn skyward, especially at night, when all the stars seemed to wink at him, enticing him to join them. For Nori had been born under a clear and moonlit sky, unusual for a dwarf, and he been filled with wonder for the world from the very beginning.

The Men looked at each other.

“Whadabouyerkin?”

“Aye, won’t your family be worried where you’ve gone? Oi was going to just take you back on Bettie after you’d eaten.”

“Er…” Nori felt a pang of guilt at the thought of his brothers, but pushed it away. How long could the trip take, anyway? It’s not like he’d never been away overnight before. If he made this quick, and brought home some more of those incredible scones, maybe Dori wouldn’t scold him. As badly. Right.

“I…’aven’t got any family!” he lied. “Besides, I wouldn’t want ye t’go out of yer way…” Looking suspiciously back at Bettie, peacefully cropping the grass on the side of the road, what he didn’t add was, “And I don’t fancy having to climb onto that monster of yours. Far too far off the ground.” Despite his adventurous nature, Nori was still a dwarf, and had decided long ago that there were things in the world too tall for anything good, including Men, Elves, and horses. He hoped Hobbits, whoever they were, were at least the right size.

The Men shared a glance and Thom gave a small shrug. “Well. Hobbiton ain’t that far off. Oi suppose we could take you through. Get you some more of them scones, huh, boy?” Bill laughed indulgently at the grin Nori couldn’t keep from spreading across his face, ruffling the dwarrow’s hair with a casual familiarity Nori found he did not mind. “Right. Guess that’s settled then. Shall we, then?”

Planting Nori on the seat of the wagon beside Thom, the trio continued across the plain for the rolling hills of Hobbiton.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Better times...

The rest of the day Nori was regaled with tales of the two merchants’ travels across Middle Earth. They hailed from thither and yon, and had been as far North as the Ettenmoors, and as far South as Ithilien. They had been guests in the House of Elrond, gotten lost and found again in the depths of the Greenwood, and had seen the sunset reflected off the spires of the White City. Nori was absolutely entranced. He hung on every word, eyes wide and heart pounding. _One day,_ he thought, _one day I’ll see it all too._

“We’ve even been to your Mountain, young master dwarf,” Bill continued. Attention fully occupied, Nori missed the look Thom shot his friend. Ignoring it, Bill went on, “Aye. We were quite familiar with it, and your people, back in…oh, Oi can’t hardly remember now. It must ‘ave been-”

“Dinnerti’!” Thom interrupted, bringing the horses to a sudden snorting halt.

“Wot? Oh, my stars, it does seem to have gotten late! Forgive me, little marster, it’s refreshing t’ave someun new t’talk ta a’ter day in an’ day out o’ sittin’ around wiv this old coot. Can’t tell ‘im stories, ‘e was there for them all!”

Laughing, Bill helped guide the wagon off the road to a spot between two trees and let Bettie graze with the other horses. He pulled sleeping rolls off the back of the wagon as Thom rummaged around for cooking supplies. Nori was sent off to find firewood. When he returned, they had already gotten a small fire going from the kindling nearby, and which fed by his findings soon produced enough heat to warm a kettle full of soup. Storytelling was temporarily stalled as they shoveled down the bland-looking, but surprisingly flavorful and nourishing broth, accompanied by chunks of brown bread torn from a loaf.

Belly full of warm food, Nori found himself blinking and yawning, suddenly worn out from his day of traveling. Chuckling, Bill let him have use of his sleeping roll as he settled down, back against a tree, to take the first watch. Thom could already be heard snoring across the fire.

“Long day, eh, lad? Not to worry, Hobbiton’s just over that rise yonder, we’ll be there in time for luncheon tomorrow. Then ye can ‘ave as many scones as ye can fit, ha ha.”

Smiling sleepily at the thought of more delicious food, Nori snuggled further into the blanket. A thought suddenly occurred to him.

“Mister Bill? You said ye‘ad been to me Mountain? D’ye mean Erebor? Me bro- er, I mean, I ‘ad ‘eard of wot ‘appened there…wiv the dragon an’ all...is it true? ‘Ave ye seen it?”

Cheerful and jolly Bill’s face darkened then. He stared at the fire for long moments, the only movement coming from his jaw working at his pipe. Nori wasn’t sure if he’d been heard, and was about to give it up when suddenly:

“Aye. Aye, lad, Oi’ve seen it. Oi was there. An’ so was he.” At this point, he turned his heavy gaze to Nori, who shrank back a little, having never seen Bill so intense before. Though he was looking right at the young dwarf, Bill did not seem to see him. “We’re from Dale. An’ we were there when Smaug came, roaring from the North. Oi’ve never known such a foul…dragons smell like the air before a storm, but with an animal rankness, did ye know? No, ye couldn’t, lad. An’ Oi hope ye never do. That beast burned our city to the ground, our fair Dale, for no other reason than it was on the way to his prize. Or perhaps he was bored? Who knows with monsters…Thom and me, we lost our homes that day, and we’ve been wandering ever since.”

Bill pulled his eyes back from the fire where they had fixated, and looked back at Nori. His gaze softened as he watched the dwarrowling huddling in the bedroll, entranced but horrified as his imagination filled in the images.

“Ah, but you don’t need to hear about that… Let me tell you about the markets! Oh, they had any kind of food ye could ever want t’eat. My mum used t’take me an’ my sister out on marketday and let us choose whatever sweet we wanted. She loved looking at all the crafts the dwarves would bring from Erebor to sell. And what things they could make! The finest weapons, jewelry, toys you’d ever seen! Oi’ve never seen finer since. The streamers would fly above ya in the breeze from the lake, and ye could walk all day…”

And Nori fell asleep that night, head filled with visions of the glorious days of yore, before burned cities and ruined lives, before dragons and the dangerous love of gold.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh crap! Er, sorry, forgot to do this earlier but
> 
> *Warning* if you need it. Bit of fighting in this chapter. No blood mentioned, but people do die. To be fair, they had it coming.

Nori awakened to clanking and shouts, and what sounded like the panicked whinnying of horses, but muffled by the blanket he’d pulled up over his hair in the night. Blinking blearily, he sat up, and found that the world had gone mad.

Bill was pinned up against the tree he’d been sitting at by a darkly clothed Man holding a spearshaft to his throat. As Nori watched wide-eyed Bill got a leg up, kicked the Man into the dying fire and ran him through with the self-same spear, abruptly cutting off his pained screaming from the hot embers burning through his tunic. Nori met his eyes and saw his mouth form the words “Up! Get up!” but could not hear him over the shouting and clashing going on around him. Moving as if pulled by strings, Nori kicked off the blankets and staggered toward Bill. His eyes widened in shock as Bill thrust the spear in his direction, but it went over his head and into the gut of the brigand looming behind him, sword upraised to slice the dwarfling in half.

Definitely awake now, Nori leapt away and pressed his back against the tree to take quick stock of the situation. The wagon was on fire, set ablaze by a bandit. Still hitched to the tree beside it, the three horses were screaming, bucking up and down and lashing out with their hooves. On the other side of the camp, he saw Thom, spinning and slicing about with a worn and chipped pair of matching swords in his hands, roaring battle cries as unintelligible in the heat of battle as his normal speech. Two Men lay before him, and with the one still smoldering from the fire, made three dead bandits. But there were three still fighting- ah, now two, the third unlikely to be much of a problem again if the spear in his chest was anything to go by- and though Bill and Thom were giving a surprisingly mighty account of themselves, they could not hold out much longer. In the distance Nori could see dark shapes circling on horses, content to let their fellows wear the two old men out before swooping in themselves.

Nori jumped as Bill grabbed his arm, other hand instinctively reaching for the knife behind his back.

“Lad, ye’ve got t’run. Yer small and fast, if yer careful those riders won’t see ya. Head fer those hills yonder, ye can find a place t’hide, and Hobbiton is another half day’s journey past. Find help there, find the Rangers! Now ye’ve got t’go, lad, run, RUN!”

Bill shoved him behind the tree where it was not lit by the dying embers and leaped over to help Thom, who had gone down on one knee, unable to block that last swing at his leg.

Nori crouched behind the tree, thinking fast, turning his knife, which was much smaller than he seemed to remember, in his hands. He desperately wanted to run, he did, but he didn’t want to be…a coward. No. He wouldn’t run.

Clutching his knife firmly, Nori dashed back around the tree and was immediately knocked to the side by a galloping horse. Oh no. The circling riders had had enough of waiting and had come in to finish the job. Nori watched, dazed, as a passing rider swiped at Bill’s back, drawing out a cry as the old man went down. At the same time, Nori became aware of a shadow between him and the merchants. The rider who had knocked him down had returned, and was now leering down at him with a mouth full of yellow teeth. Those teeth were all Nori could register; those teeth and the spear now angled down to pin him to the ground.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nori learns a few things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I updated this ages ago o.O Whoops.

Out of nowhere an arrow appeared in the bandit’s throat, the momentum knocking him sideways off his horse. The body slid to the ground, leer still on his face as he died without even realizing what had happened.

Stunned, Nori turned his head at the sound of hooves and hunting horns. A second group of mounted riders had appeared, the one in the lead cocking another arrow to his bow. Another bandit fell before the group arrived in the merchant’s camp. Though numbering only three, the riders dispatched the remaining bandits swiftly with their superior skill, long blades brought to life in their hands. Soon, all the bandits were dead in the dirt.

The archer circled back to where Nori still lay on the ground, covering his head with his hands. The rider dismounted, and slowly approached, pushing back his hood and holding the other hand out to show it was empty. Looking behind him, Nori saw his fellows attending to Bill and Thom.

“Here now. It’s alright.”

Nori said nothing, but did raise his head.

“That’s it, lad. Danger’s passed. Now c’mon, are y’hurt? Can y’stand?”

Shakily getting to his feet, Nori shook his head, confirming he was unhurt.

“Say, you’re stoneborn, aren’t ya? I thought you were one of the Halflings at first…”

Taking the Man’s hand, Nori allowed himself to be led to where Bill and Thom lay, trying to ignore the darkly-clothed bodies of the dead attackers scattered around the site. Fearful of what state his friends might be in, Nori hid behind the folds of the Man’s cloak until he saw Bill’s chest rise with a rattling breath. With sudden enormous relief, he tore himself free and flung himself between Bill and Thom, trying to check them both at once. Thom was unconscious, breathing unsteadily, but he was breathing. Bill was awake.

“Lad…Nori.”

“’M here, I didn’t run…sorry…”

“’S alright…yull be safe now…these Men are Rangers. They’ll take ye home.”

“Home? I-I want to go on adventures with you! You ken teach me ‘ow t’fight, and next time I ken help…”

“Haha,” Bill gave a weak, but kindly laugh, which collapsed into a brief fit of coughing. “Oi wish ye could, lad, Oi wish ye could. But Oi reckon me and Thom’s adventurin’ days are over now…” He looked sadly over at his friend, still and silent. Nori followed his gaze, and realized with a shock that Thom was gone. He turned helpless eyes back to Bill, begging.

“Ah, there he goes without me again. He’s always so impatient,” Bill tried to smile. “’M sorry, lad. ‘M so sorry. Oi’ve got’a catch up, or he’s gon’ t’get into trouble again.”

Bill reached out a shaking hand and Nori took it, holding on like he meant to keep Bill in this world by his grip alone.

“It was good to have known you, my lad. You’ll be alright. Yer a scapper, Oi ken tell. Go on, Nori. Your family will be missing you.” There was a twinkle in Bill’s eye as he winked. “And it’s far past due the last time Oi saw mine…”

Bill’s gaze slid off Nori’s face as his eyes turned skyward. Nori wondered what he saw; in the moment before his eyes shut for good, Bill’s face seemed to light up once last time. Trying to sniff back his tears, Nori gently laid Bill’s hand upon his chest, and sat back. He was startled when the Rangers’ cloaks rustled as they rose from their respectful kneels; for a moment it had felt like he was alone all in the world.

“We’ll take care of them now, lad. Rangers always take care of their own. I’m just sorry we got here too late. Forgive us.”

Wiping at his eyes, Nori said a silent farewell to Bill and Thom as the other two Rangers pulled cloaks over their faces, and let himself be led away.

Something suddenly occurred to him.

“…Wot d’you mean by Rangers always take care of their own?”

The archer swung up onto his horse, pulling Nori up in front of him. “You did not know? After the fall of Dale, Bill and Thom wandered until they were found by the elves of the Mirkwood. Not knowing what to do with two children of Men, they were brought to Rivendell where Lord Elrond happened to be meeting with a Ranger captain. They begged him to take them with him, and so he did, and they were trained in our corps. Of course, their names are not really Bill and Thom. We shall send them to their ancestors with their given names, Baylore and Thomlin of Dale-That-Was.”

Nori listened, wide-eyed, as the horse cantered its way toward his home. The Ranger told him of his friends’ bravery, their prowess in battle. No Ranger actively seeks glory, but these two were known to many all the same. They acquiesced to semi-retirement when they began to age, faster than their Númenórean-blooded brothers. Under the guise of innocuous merchants, they roamed the lands, keeping a careful eye out for any dangers to their charges, the free peoples of Middle Earth, and helping where they could.

“They were brave Men, Baylore and Thomlin. The morning dawns a little greyer without them here to greet it.”

Indeed, the sun was at last rising through the thin veil of cloud that had spread across the sky during the night. The horse had been swift, and they were coming up on a hill overlooking Nori’s village.

“I…I ken find me own way ‘ome now, fanks,” Nori said, not relishing the attention he would get if he rode back into town in the back of a horse with a Ranger.

Chuckling understandingly, the Ranger helped him down, and spoke once more, turning the head of his horse back the way they had come.

“Take care, Nori Stoneborn. Do not dwell on death; it is but a passing shadow. Honor Bill and Thom with life.”

“I will.” Waving, Nori watched the Ranger ride away. In the distance he could see thin lines of smoke rising from two pyres. Bill and Thom, off on a final adventure. He wished them well, and made them a silent promise he would follow in their footsteps around the world one day.

Standing on the hill, looking down at the low houses, the familiar streets, he felt a pang of a different kind. Suddenly, he desperately wanted to see his brothers; have Dori crush him in his arms even as he scolded him; hold Ori’s hands as he tried to take toddling steps.

As he sprinted down the hill, nearly tripping every other step, he realized another thing: No matter how far he would roam, he would always return home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bill and Thom. Secret badasses.


End file.
